Flicker (2)
by LavenderLibrarian793
Summary: Caroline finds out about what happened on the island; and Damon and Bonnie have an unexpected run in with a thief.


Caroline stood shaking slightly; Tyler's kiss still lingered on her cheek. She felt the phone fall from her hands; Klaus stared from the kitchen window, his brow furrowed.

_Jeremy's dead…we're coming home ASAP. _

_Jeremy…dead? How was that possible? _

_Jeremy, poor Elena! _

_Oh god, Elena! _

Now Tyler had run off…afraid for his life. She needed someone, she picked up her phone and dialed the first contact she could see through blurred eyes.

"Matt…its Jeremy, he's dead." Caroline gripped the phone tightly as Matt dropped something behind him.

"I'm on my way," He said hurriedly.

Caroline gasped as a hand was placed on her shoulder.

"My condolences love," Klaus said in a deep whisper. He guided her to the porch swing and they sat; the brisk air made gooseflesh rise on their skin.

"I hear the littlest Gilbert has taken an unfortunate turn," Klaus turned to wipe a tear from Caroline's cheek.

"You knew," Caroline whispered, giving Klaus a venomous glare.

"Knew that only one dose of the cure was available? Or knew that Jeremy would be a part of Silas's sacrifice?" Klaus wondered; his voice held little emotion, a smirk played at the edges of his mouth.

"You knew all of it!" Caroline hissed, standing up and turning to face him. "You're the cause of every bad thing that has ever happened," she turned and flashed out, leaving Klaus on the porch swing, perplexed.

"Elena," Caroline placed a hand on her best friend's shoulder.

Elena stood still, staring at the bed. Jeremy was lying stiffly, his eyes were closed, and his wounds had been cleaned, he could have been sleeping….

Elena just stared. She didn't feel anything. She stared at Jeremy; she placed a hand on his forehead and ran her fingers through his chocolate brown hair.

Stefan stood in the doorway, talking to Matt, they're voices were muffled, but Elena could hear them distinctly.

"I don't know…I just can't wrap my head around it…" Matt whispered.

"I know, I feel like a train hit me and I can't wake up," Stefan replied gravely.

Elena's phone rang and her hand went right to it, "Hello?" She said sharply.

"ELENA! Thank god we have service! Silas didn't rise! Damon buried the corpse." Bonnie's voice was rushed and she sounded almost out of breath.

The phone fell from Elena's hand; she fell to her knees and hugged her chest; heavy sobs echoed around the room.

"The ring can save him then, right? When Damon killed Alaric he came back…" Elena grabbed Jeremy's limp hand and brushed her fingers over the lapis stone embedded into the silver ring.

"Yeah, maybe, but Elena, he was a Hunter." Matt said from the doorway; he kept his eyes down, not wanting to stare at Jeremy's body.

"So? Hunter's are human, he's human, and the ring will bring him back." Elena nodded and kept holding Jeremy's cool hand, she could feel how stiff he was, how lifeless he felt, but she wouldn't believe that he was dead.

He was all she had left...

Damon pulled Bonnie along behind him, something was following them and the witch was too weak to keep it away.

"There's a cave just over this hill, get in it and stay there until I tell you otherwise." Damon ordered, nearly pushing Bonnie over the hill and into the little crack between two massive boulders.

"What about you?" She wondered, sticking her head out so that she could see him more clearly.

"I'll wait for whatever comes…if I die, make sure you get home to Elena." He gave her a serious look before she retreated to the darkness; the sounds of the threat were terrifyingly close.

"Why not take me with you?" A familiar voice echoed through the tree trunks.

Katherine walked calmly up the hill; Damon stood as still as a statue. He glanced at the box she was carrying, and assumed it must be the cure. She hadn't taken it yet, like he knew she wouldn't, she would wait to bargain with Klaus for her freedom.

"I thought you'd be halfway to Japan by now," Damon muttered, crossing his arms and giving her his signature scowl.

"I would've been, but I heard you _volunteer _to stay behind for my doppelganger, and I couldn't miss an opportunity." Katherine stopped a few feet from the cave entrance; Bonnie could see her through the narrow crack.

"What opportunity?" Damon growled, stepping closer to her.

"To give you this…" Katherine held up the worn pine box, it was about the size of a cantaloupe with ancient Celtic markings.

Damon glared at it, that box had caused too much trouble to give him warm feelings about having the cure so close.

"What do you want for it?" Damon growled.

"Freedom…and your witch,"

"What do you want with me?" Bonnie stepped out from the cave and stood next to Damon, trying to look menacing.

"I need you to do me a little favor," Katherine crossed her arms, letting the cure dangle from her right hand. "I ran into a warlock in Chicago and he's been after me, but luckily I've been able to avoid him,"

"Unluckily for us," Damon commented.

"Oh well, that's all I want." Katherine stated.

_What do you think? _Bonnie's voice echoed in the tunnels of Damon's mind.

_I need to come up with a plan, or we're all screwed. That's usually how it works isn't it? _ Damon wondered.

_Take the cure first, we can figure something else out when we get home…_Bonnie replied, stepping closer to Katherine.

_Fine…_Damon said.

Damon flashed behind Katherine and placed his hand around her neck, squeezing just enough so that she could barely breathe.

"Leave us the cure, we'll bring you Bonnie. That's the deal," Damon pinned her arms behind her back, and loosened his hold on her neck.

Katherine growled, she dropped the box and turned to face him, he could hear her wrists snap in his hands. "Make it so," she said.

He released her and she flashed out, leaving him and Bonnie with the tiny pine box.


End file.
